crazy, dancing monkey from Hungary, hopeless romantic fanfictionista :P
The one who always eats the food and never makes it.
Turkish Coffee in Budapest
The majority of Hungarians start the day off with a cup of coffee and will have several more throughout the day. According to records, the coffee was introduced in Hungary in 1579, by a Turk called Behram.In other Europen countries coffee was already known -according to the legend when Vienna was first invaded (1529), the Turkish army left quite a lot coffee bags behind, when they fled the city.
The idea of doctoring up one’s coffee with cream and sweeteners, came into fashion in Europe by Franz Georg Kolschitzky who opened the first coffee house in Vienna. Apparently, he had lived in Turkey and was the only person who recognized the value in the beans. He introduced the idea of filtering coffee, as well as the softening the brew with milk and sugar. The beverage was quite a hit, and when coffee houses also started serving sweet pastries and other confectionary treats, their popularity exploded.
Drinking coffee in Buda at the beginning was prohibited - mainly for the soldiers - , and people consumed it at home. By the 17th century the coffee shops started to be wellspred in the Buda Castle, and drinking coffee became an overall custom.By the end of the 19th century there was already more, than 500 coffeehouse in Budapest.
MAKING CHAMPAGNE
Today, the production of Champagne is quite different from Dom Pérignon’s accidental discovery. If the sparkling wine is produced outside of Champagne, France, but is made by the “French Method,” it is usually labeled “Méthode Champenoise.” This is true of most American sparkling wines. Méthode Champenoise, which is the method used in Champagne, involves several distinct steps.
Selecting the Cuvée (La Cuvée)
The cuvée is the base wine selected to make the Champagne. The most expensive Champagnes are made from cuvées from selected vineyards in the Champagne region. Cuvées can be from a pure grape variety, such as Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, or can be a mixture of several grape varieties. Chardonnay is a white grape variety with white juice, Pinot Noir a red grape variety with WHITE juice. Pinot Meunier, a relative of Pinot Noir, also is used extensively. The slight rust color imparted to some Champagne results from using Pinot Noir cuvées that acquire some red color from contact with the skins. The longer the juice remains in contact with the skins, the darker red it becomes. If a Champagne is made exclusively from Chardonnay, it is called “blanc de blanc,” white wine from white grapes. Most Champagne is made from mixed cuvees. The alcohol content of the cuvee is usually around 10%.
The tirage
After the cuvée is selected, sugar, yeast, and yeast nutrients are added and the entire concoction, called the tirage, is put in a thick walled glass bottle and sealed with a bottle cap. Approximately four grams of sugar per liter of wine will produces one atmosphere of carbon dioxide. Since Champagne contains approximately six atmospheres of gas, 24 g of sugar are added per liter of base wine. After fermentation, and subsequent manipulations, the final product ends up with about four atmospheres of carbon dioxide. The tirage is placed in a cool cellar (55-60°F), and allowed to slowly ferment, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Since the bottle is sealed, the carbon dioxide cannot escape, and,thereby producing the sparkle of Champagne.
Aging on dead yeast
As the fermentation proceeds, yeast cells die and after several months, the fermentation is complete. However, the Champagne continues to age in the cool cellar for several more years resulting in a toasty, yeasty characteristic. During this aging period, the yeast cells split open and literally spill their guts into the solution imparting complex, yeasty flavors to the Champagne. The best and most expensive Champagne is aged for five or more years.
Riddling (Le Remuage)
After the aging process is complete, the dead yeast cells are removed through a process known as riddling. The Champagne bottle is placed upside down in a holder at a 75° angle. Each day the riddler comes through the cellar and turns the bottle 1/8th of a turn while keeping it upside down. This procedure forces the dead yeast cells into the neck of the bottle where they are subsequently removed. A riddler typically handles 20,000 to 30,000 bottles per day.
Disgorging
The Champagne bottle is kept upside down while the neck is frozen in an ice-salt bath. This procedure results in the formation of a plug of frozen wine containing the dead yeast cells. The bottle cap is then removed and the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas in the bottle forces the plug of frozen wine out leaving behind clear Champagne. At this point the dosage, a mixture of white wine, brandy, and sugar, is added to adjust the sweetness level of the wine and to top up the bottle.The bottle is then corked and the cork wired down to secure the high internal pressure of the carbon dioxide.The sweetness levels of Champagne range very dry (ultra brut) to very sweet (doux), with brut being the most common.
Photo: Riddling pad, Záborszy-pince, Budafok (Budapest, Hungary)
In 1912 there were more than 300 café-confectioneries in Budapest, and still today we have plenty of them.
The most famous is the legendary Gerbeaud, in the heart of the downtown. Gerbeuad was founded in 1858 by Henrik Kugler and – with its original marble tables, fine wood paneling, rich plaster…
*_* snowy snowy Sunday
gorgeous as usual :)
Hey boy! ~ I fell in love on a snowy day ~ (by Charlotte Gong)
I’m not going to ask you to stop whatever you’re doing and reblog this. But it would mean a lot if you did. This says so much…
